Former Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Sukhorukov and his campaign manager Tatyana Yermakova have been found guilty of conspiring to defraud the public and committing acts of electoral fraud by the Union Court. Announcing the verdict today, just 24 hours after the case resumed, Court President Dmitri Korsakov said there was “no doubt” that Sukhorukov and Yermakova had ordered Nationalist Party officials to create and insert duplicative, fraudulent, ballots into voting booths in key seats during the 2023 legislative and presidential election.
“We have been presented with resounding evidence which clearly demonstrates that the Nationalist Party set out to deliberately and unequivocally rig the election and that the order to do so came right from the top” said Korsakov. “The sworn statements we have heard, the messages we have seen and the papers we have reviewed all show very clear planning and execution of a plot that beyond question defrauded citizens of their legal democratic rights” he continued in a formal statement that lasted for around 15 minutes.
The decision came quickly after the case had been on hold for several months following the insertion of new evidence from the prosecution and statements by former party treasurer Andrei Kovtun, who, under sworn testimony, said that Sukhorukov and Yermakova had explicitly been involved in the plot – which firstly junior staffer Oksana Shulga and then later logistics head Petro Bondarenko had confirmed. For their statements, Kovtun, Bondarenko and Shulga were given immunity and have been released from house arrest. IT assistant Dmitry Saveliev was also released, although may still face charges.
The decision to acquit the ‘Turncoat Three’, as they have been named for having changed sides during the case, is controversial – given that both Kovtun and Shulga were also charged with destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice. Korsakov said that the Court viewed that those who had “orchestrated” were being “rightfully held to account”, but that it was “regrettable” much of the evidence used to convict them was only given under the promise of immunity. He slammed the three as “shameful” and, addressing them together, stated that “while you may walk out of here free today because of your late honesty, know that you are without doubt guilty of crimes against your fellow people”.
Chief Prosecutor Irina Volokhova issued a statement saying that she expects the Court to press for the “full extent of the law to be applied” when sentencing the remaining figures – which she said she expected to take place “over the next few weeks”. Defence representative Viktor Slezko however said that the case “was not over” and that an appeal would be lodged “imminently” – arguing that the initial arrest of Sukhorukov was illegal and that false evidence had been presented.
The government is yet to respond to the news, but opposition figure Janoslav Csoňka said that “justice had been done” and referred to the former Nationalist Party figures as “traitors”.
